


It's Now or Never

by killmetatron



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Anal Sex, F/M, Homosexuality, M/M, Oral Sex, Supernatural AU: Not Hunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-29 02:00:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killmetatron/pseuds/killmetatron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dean goes to visit his brother Sam in California, he's nervous about leaving his husband Cas and their daughter behind. That is, until Cas decides to surprise him with a series of video calls that slowly reveal a surprising message.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dean Winchester left work a little early on the Friday before his vacation. He wanted to get in some extra time with his husband and daughter before heading off to visit his brother in California. The whole drive home, he was so nervous that his stomach felt like it was being run through a washing machine. Had he packed everything he needed? Would he make his plane on time? What if Sam wasn’t doing as well as he had told Dean he was? Would Cas and Mary be okay without him? Cas was good with baby Mary most of the time, but they were still new to fatherhood, and Dean was scared that something might happen without him there, even though he trusted Cas completely. This obviously wasn’t his first time leaving Mary alone with Cas, but he had never left them for more than a weekend, and this trip to California would be a week long vacation for him.

“Stop worrying,” Dean said to himself, but it didn’t help much.

He shook his head for a moment, trying to clear the intrusive thoughts from his brain, but it didn’t do a thing. Dean was a worrier, as much as he hated to admit it.  
Cas was waiting in the living room for Dean when he got home. As soon as he heard Dean turning the doorknob, Cas hopped up and walked swiftly towards the door, grinning before he even saw his husband’s face. Dean jumped a little when he saw Cas standing right there, but the look of shock on his face was instantly replaced by a soft, warm smile when he saw the delighted grin Cas was wearing.

“Hey, baby,” said Dean, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Hello, Dean,” said Cas, kissing him softly on the lips.

Dean wrapped his hands around Cas’ waist, and they rested their foreheads against each other for a moment, just breathing in their combined scents. Even though they had been together for six years and married for almost two, they still hated being apart for even a moment. They missed each other terribly when Dean was at work all day, so they knew the next week was going to be tough for them, even though it would be fun for Dean to see his little brother, Sammy.

“I’m going to miss y-” started Cas, but Dean interrupted him with a shushing sound and a finger placed softly on Cas’ parted lips.

“Don’t worry about that yet, baby, okay? Let’s just enjoy tonight. Where’s Mary?”

“In her crib. She was cranky so I put her down for a nap.”

“Alright. I’ll go check on her, okay?” replied Dean.

Cas nodded and Dean pecked him on the cheek before heading upstairs to Mary’s nursery. Mary was a beautiful baby with blonde hair and big hazel eyes. Dean and Cas had adopted her when she was only a few days old, so even though she wasn’t biologically their child, she was definitely their daughter. She was about five months old now, and growing like a weed.

When Dean entered her room, he could hear her cooing in her crib. He smiled and walked over to scoop her up. When she saw her daddy’s face appear over her crib, Mary grinned and reached her arms up towards him, fingers curling and uncurling in a “pick me up” motion. Dean picked her up and kissed her nose.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, and put her on his hip. He held one arm around her and one under her to support her, and she snuggled her head into his shoulder. Dean kissed her head and carried her downstairs, where Cas was sitting on the couch. Dean sat down next to him and moved Mary to his lap. Cas snuggled up into Dean’s side, and Dean wrapped his arm around Cas, and they turned the television on. Mary soon fell asleep and Dean rubbed her back slowly and hummed a lullaby, which made Cas smile up at him. Dean leaned down a little to place a gentle kiss on Cas’ forehead.

•••

A few hours later, after dinner was had and Mary was put to bed, Cas and Dean found themselves in the kitchen, drinking beers and talking about Dean’s trip.

“You should ask Sam to take you to those stupid tourist places you love,” said Cas. Dean blushed.

“I don’t love them, I just think they’re funny,” said Dean. Cas chuckled softly. “Anyway, he’s going to be busy. I’ll mostly be on my own while he’s at work. I’ll really only see him at night and over the weekend.”

There was a pause, and Dean picked at the label on his beer bottle. Cas looked down at his lap and almost whispered the thing he said next.

“I’m going to miss you a lot, you know.”

Dean got up and walked around the kitchen table to put a firm hand on Cas’ shoulder.

“It’ll go by so fast, you won’t even know I’m gone. Besides, tonight I’m going to give you something to remember me by.”

Cas laughed a little and looked up at his husband’s deep green eyes. Before he had time to process what was happening, Dean grabbed Cas’ face in his hands and kissed him passionately. Cas was happy to reciprocate his motion of lust, and soon Cas was standing too and they were leaning against the kitchen counter in a fit of desire.

Dean reached between them and began to unbutton Cas’ crisp white shirt. When it was fully unbuttoned, Cas slid it off and threw it to the floor. Dean broke the kiss for just a moment to pull his t-shirt up and off over his head.

The fire of lust between them didn’t falter for even a moment as Dean grabbed Cas’ hand and led him upstairs to their bedroom. As soon as they were in their room, Dean shut the door and pushed Cas onto the bed. He climbed on top of him and they resumed their amorous kissing. 

“I love you, Dean,” breathed Cas between kisses. Dean paused for just a moment and smiled down at Cas.

“Me too, baby,” said Dean.

Soon their pants were shed and they were in their boxers, legs entangled, lips still hungrily kissing each other. Dean ran his hand down Cas’ chest and Cas shivered and smiled against Dean’s neck, leaving small kisses from his shoulder to his chin. When Dean’s hand reached the waistband of Cas’ boxers, he teased for a moment, sliding his fingers just barely under is and playing with the elastic. Cas moaned deeply, but Dean just chuckled and didn’t give Cas what he wanted so desperately until his moans finally took the form of a single word.

“Please...”

Dean grinned and slid his hand deep into Cas’ boxers. He ran his fingertips gently over the shaft of Cas’ cock, causing Cas to shiver and his cock to twitch. Dean smiled slyly at Cas and snaked his fingers into a firm grasp around Cas’ hardening dick. He kissed Cas’ neck and began to rub his cock as Cas slid his boxers off and threw them on the floor. Dean’s hand jacked Cas off and Cas had the cover his mouth with the back of his hand to keep his moans from waking the baby. Once Cas was nice and hard, Dean repositioned himself lower on the bed so he was between Cas’ legs and looking up at him. He smiled a devilish smile and continued to jerk Cas’ throbbing cock. With a wink, he placed his lips over the very tip of Cas’ dick and sucked gently. Cas let out a long, heavy moan. Dean was so hard from seeing Cas in so much pleasure. He wanted to rub his own cock, but knew it would be better if Cas did it, so he continued to suck. He teased Cas at first, with little kisses and licks, but soon enough he was taking Cas’ entire penis deep into his throat, and Cas was fidgeting and whimpering in ecstasy.

Cas came in long spurts, right into Dean’s waiting mouth, and Dean happily swallowed every drop and finished by licking Cas clean. Cas was panting and sweating when Dean looked up, and he knew he had done well.

“Dean...” breathed Cas, “That was...”

“Incredible?” winked Dean.

“Better than incredible.”

Cas leaned down and kissed Dean long and hard before pulling him up to sit beside him. He pulled Dean’s boxers off and kissed Dean’s chest and neck while jerking him nice and fast, just the way Dean liked it. Dean was so built up from watching Cas earlier, that it didn’t take very long for him to cum, and after Cas licked him clean the two of them held each other close and drifted off to sleep together, completely forgetting about the goodbyes they would have to say early the next morning.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning found Dean, Cas, and Mary at the airport. Cas accompanied Dean for as long as he could, but when it came time for Dean to go through airport security, it was time to say goodbye.  
  
Cas was tearful. It was only a week, but they had never been apart for this long before, and Dean had certainly never left him alone with Mary for this long. If only Sam didn’t live so far away. If only Cas was able to take a week off too and go with him. Dean said goodbye to Mary first, lifting her from her stroller and holding her close. She cooed happily and he kissed her forehead over and over. He picked her up high to look her right in her beautiful hazel eyes.  
  
“Take care of your daddy for me, alright young lady?”  
  
Cas chuckled, but there was a sadness laced in it. Dean gave Mary one final kiss on the forehead and one last squeeze before putting her back in her stroller. Then he turned to Cas.  
  
Tears formed in Cas’ eyes. He knew it was ridiculous, but his heart already ached for Dean, mourning his absence. The day they said their vows, he had said that he never wanted to spend another moment away from Dean, and he had meant that with all of his heart. He loved Dean with more than just his heart; he loved Dean with his entire soul, his entire being.  
  
Dean pulled Cas into a tight hug, holding him so close that they could hardly breathe. They didn’t want to let go; not ever. They had this profound bond between them that was matched by none. They were definitive proof that soul mates existed, because nobody in their right mind could deny that their very essences were intertwined in ways they couldn’t even fathom. The embrace didn’t last nearly long enough for either of them, but Dean had a plane to catch so they had to say goodbye. Dean cupped Cas’ face in his hands and kissed him earnestly.  
  
“I’ll be home so soon, baby...” he whispered when their lips parted.  
  
“Think about me every second?” responded Cas, a single tear running down his cheek. Dean used his thumb to wipe the tear away and kissed Cas on the forehead.  
“I always do,” he responded.  
  
Those words echoed against the walls of Cas’ skull as he watched Dean walk to the security checkpoint. He tried to be brave for Dean, since he knew that it hurt Dean to see him cry. He picked up Mary and they waved goodbye to Dean. Dean waved back with a smile on his face, but there was a deep, longing sadness in his eyes. He yearned to break from the line and run back to his husband and daughter, to never leave them again, but he knew that they would be okay without him. After all, it was only a week, right?  
  
Moments later, the line pushed forward and they lost sight of each other in the crowd. Cas stood there for a few minutes, craning his neck for one last glimpse of his Dean, but it was to no avail. Finally, with a sigh, he kissed Mary’s cheek and strapped her back into her stroller, pushing her out to the car and away from Dean.

•••

Dean spent his time on the plane fidgeting and worrying about Cas and Mary. He tried to sleep, but his anxious thoughts kept him awake. He tried to read, but his mind wandered far from the pages of his book. He knew it was crazy to be this worried; this codependent. It wasn’t until the plane landed that his mind was able to rest for a moment.  
  
There is a sort of routine associated with travel that helped Dean calm his mind. He knew what to do and what order to do it in, and he was able to throw his focus into that. When the plane arrived at the terminal, he grabbed his bag and exited the plane with the other passengers. He followed the signs to baggage claim, and found where he had to go. He was waiting for his bag when he heard an excited voice behind him.  
  
“Dean!”  
  
He turned around to see his little brother running in his direction. He dropped his backpack and opened his arms and hugged Sam tight.  
  
“Sammy!” he exclaimed, so excited to see his brother.  
  
Just then, a beautiful blonde woman appeared by Sam’s side, grinning up at him.  
  
“Dean, this is Jessica Moore,” said Sam. Dean looked at his brother and smiled.  
  
“Sammy, you didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend!” he teased. He put his arm around Jessica.  
  
“Hi Jess, I’m Dean. Glad to know my dorky little brother found someone as pretty as you.” Sam socked Dean on the arm and Dean laughed, throwing his arms around Sammy and Jess. He squeezed them tight for a moment and then grabbed his backpack. Once his bag came around on the carousel, he grabbed it and they headed out to the car. Sam tried to grab Dean’s bag but Dean shook his head. He could carry his bag just fine by himself.  
  
“I ain’t getting old yet, Sammy,” he laughed. Sam threw his hands up in a defensive gesture and laughed.  
  
“Alright, alright,” he said. They got in the car and headed back to Sam’s apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

Once Dean was settled in at Sam’s apartment, Sam decided to take him out to eat so that they could catch up. Dean agreed that it was a great idea, but first he said he had to call Cas. He headed out to the patio and hit speed dial number one on his phone. Cas picked up on the second ring.

“Dean?” asked a hopeful Cas.

“Hi, baby. I got here safe.”

“Dean...” sighed Cas, sounded relieved and excited and nostalgic and a hundred other things.

“How’s Mary?” Dean asked.

“Fine. Fine, she’s fine.” Cas sighed, “Dean, I miss you.”

“I know, Cas,” said Dean, “I’ll be home before you know it.”

There was a silence on the line, but not an uncomfortable one. They seemed to be in an imaginary shared space, far from California or their home, but instead in some land that existed every time they spoke on the phone or closed their eyes when they kissed. A fictional Somewhere-with-a-capital-S that only existed for them. Dean loved this Somewhere, because no matter where he was in reality, in this Somewhere he was always with Cas.

“I love you, Dean,” said Cas after a moment.

“Me too,” said Dean. They were silent for another moment.

“Do you think maybe we could set up a video call for tonight?” asked Cas.

“Yes,” said Dean, “Yes, absolutely.”

“Good,” said Cas, “Because I have a surprise for you.”

Before Dean had time to react, Cas hung up the phone, leaving Dean alone with his phone still against his ear, wondering what in the world Cas meant. Cas was not one to organize surprises, so the fact that there even was a surprise was a pretty large surprise in itself.

Dean and Sam went out to a bar to get some burgers and beer and catch up. They chatted about Sam’s classes at law school and his relationship with Jess and Dean told Sam all about everything that was new with Mary and showed him pictures. Sam hadn’t seen Mary since she was only a few weeks old, when he had come to stay with Dean and Cas for two weeks to help them adjust to fatherhood, so he was ecstatic for Dean and clapped him on the shoulder, laughing at a picture of Mary’s face covered in cake on Cas’ birthday.

“She’s beautiful, Dean,” said Sam, “Seriously. She is.”

“Thanks, Sammy,” said Dean, grinning.

“She has your eyes.”

“Sam, she’s adopted.”

“I know, but she still has your eyes.”

They were quiet for a moment as Dean smiled down at the picture of Mary.

“I guess she does,” he said, his smile deepening. In a weird way, she did have Dean’s deep green in her eyes, even though she wasn’t biologically his. They were hazel, but you could see traces of Dean in them. The way they gleamed when she smirked and the hints of vibrant green they had in certain light were both traits she had somehow inherited from her father. Her laugh, however, was Cas’. The way her whole body shook and her smile seemed to crack her face in half was one hundred percent Cas.

“I’m proud of you, Dean,” said Sam, resting his hand more steadily on Dean’s shoulder than before. His voice was serious, and there was no hint of sarcasm in his eyes. Dean was touched for a moment, but decided to play it off. He laughed and groaned.

“No chick flick moments,” he lectured, pointing a scolding finger at Sam. Sam laughed, but Dean caught a glimpse of disappointment in his eye, so Dean flashed him a look that seemed to say “thank you”, even though his lips called his brother a bitch.

“Jerk,” laughed Sam.

•••

When they got home and Sam retired to his room to work on a paper, Dean set himself up at the small kitchen table with his laptop. He texted Cas to ask if he was ready to Skype, and moments later he got a notification on his screen.

"Castiel Novak has logged on!"

Dean smiled. He liked the idea of his Cas sitting by the computer waiting for a text. He waited about four seconds before he decided that he had waited long enough, and pressed the green button that would call Cas. He chuckled softly as the phone rang, thinking about how ridiculous it was that he was still playing the “don’t want to seem to eager” game when it came to Cas. They were married, for God’s sake. And with a kid, no less. He no longer had to play games to keep Cas interested, he had already pretty much sealed the deal. However, something about Cas made Dean want to keep things interesting. There was a hint of mystery in Cas’ eyes that hadn’t been decoded yet, and Dean wanted to be worth Cas’ time.

“Dean?” said Cas, “Dean, I see you!”

“Hi, baby,” said Dean. The screen was still blank.

“Can you see me?”

“No,” laughed Dean, “Push the green camera button.”

A moment later, Cas’ face appeared on the screen. He grinned.

“I see me!” said Cas, pointing at his screen.

“I do too,” said Dean, smiling fondly. Cas was so childlike sometimes when he got excited. It was one of the many things Dean loved about him.

“How’s our baby?” asked Dean after a moment.

“Great!” said Cas, “So great! Hold on, I will go get her.” Just like that, Cas got up and disappeared off the screen, leaving Dean smiling fondly at the screen again. A moment later, Cas appeared with a yawning, pink-pajama clad baby on his shoulder.

“Cas, did you wake her up?”

“Oh,” said Cas, “Yes. But she just went to sleep and I thought she’d want to see you.” Dean laughed and shook his head a little.

Sure enough, as soon as Cas turned little Mary around and she saw Dean on the screen, she grinned and reached her hands out toward Dean. 

“Hi, beautiful,” said Dean. Her grin widened, and an equally massive grin broke out on Dean’s face. He missed her. There was suddenly a deep ache in his chest as he looked at his smiling daughter. He longed to be back home, holding her and holding Cas. He missed his family. He loved Sam and was so glad to be with him, but he wished he could have brought Cas and Mary with him.

“So,” said Dean, having a sudden realization, “What’s this surprise?”

Cas grinned. “Well, you don’t get to really know until you come back home to us.”

“Cas...” whined Dean.

“No whining. But I’ll give you a hint,” said Cas, “This one gave me the idea.” He lifted Mary up and she giggled like she knew what was going on.

“You should put that one to bed,” said Dean.

“Okay,” said Cas. He left and returned baby-less.

Dean smiled fondly at Cas as they talked.

“I miss you so much,” said Cas, as it started to get late.

“Me too, Cas,” said Dean.

“I want you here.”

“I need you here.”

“I love you,” said Cas.

“Me too,” said Dean.

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Dean was left happy, but with a slight emptiness in his chest. He missed home. He had grown up without a real place to call home, and felt spoiled by what he had now. He loved Cas and Mary so much, and could hardly believe that his life now was real. Dean headed over to the pull-out couch and crawled under the blankets. He fell asleep smiling at a picture of Cas and Mary on his phone.


	4. Chapter 4

That night, Dean dreamed of Cas. He dreamed about the night he proposed. It had started like any night. Dean was not exactly a romantic. He loved making Cas happy, but was not one to pre-plan huge romantic gestures. He hadn’t known in advance that he was going to propose that night. It had been just as surprising for him as it had been for Cas.

They had ordered Chinese food and watched some made-for-TV movie. As the credits rolled, Cas had leaned into Dean’s side and sighed softly, and Dean had kissed his forehead.

“I love you, Dean...” breathed Cas, “I love you more than I love all the stars in the sky. The amount of love I have for you is higher than the number of grains of sand on the beach. That number is dwarfed by the amount of love I feel for you right now.”

Dean had let out a low chuckle and pulled Cas in tight.

“I love you, too, Castiel...” he had whispered into his hair.

Dean left a long, lingering kiss on Cas’ head. His lips had brushed against Cas’ hair as he finally pulled away, and sat Cas up. Dean had looked him dead in the eye and it had just slipped out.

“Cas, marry me.”

“What?”

“Marry me, Cas,” Dean had repeated, “I need you and me to be forever. I need to know that I can go to bed every night with you by my side and wake up and kiss you every morning. Forever. I don’t want to go another day without you.”

The silence that followed as Cas pondered the order had seemed like eons to the nervous Dean. He hadn’t meant to say it, but he didn’t regret it at all. He was glad he had said it. He hadn’t realized how badly he wanted it until after it was out of his mouth, and now he not only wanted it, but needed it. He needed Cas to say yes, so he prompted him by lifting Cas’ chin with his hand and staring deep into his pondering eyes.

“Marry me, Castiel Novak,” he had said, and then he planted a long kiss on Cas’ lips. When they finally parted, Cas had let out one breathless word, so quiet that if Dean hadn’t been waiting for it, he might not have heard.

“Okay.”

Dean had scooped up Cas’ face in his hands and kissed him harder and deeper, breathless and needy and rejoicing. A single tear had fallen down his cheek as he kissed Cas, and he repositioned himself so that he was straddling Cas’ lap.

“Thank you, Cas,” he had whispered between kisses, “Thank you for making me the luckiest man in the world...”

Castiel had laughed his low laugh and pulled Dean in closer by wrapping arms tight around Dean’s waist. Their kissing had become more eager and celebratory. It hadn’t even registered in Dean’s head yet, the immensity of what had just happened, but he had known that he needed Cas to be his in that moment. He began to grind his hips into Cas’ as they kissed, and Cas had pulled him in even closer and their jeans had tightened. Dean’s cock had twitched with each inhale and exhale, and he had grown harder and harder, filled with love and lust.

Before they knew it, their clothes had been abandoned. They were on the couch in their boxers, skin against skin, their bare chests pressed against each other and only two thin layers of fabric between their throbbing penises.

Dean had kissed down Cas’ body, tracing the outline of Cas’ muscles with his eager mouth.

“I love you, Dean Winchester...” Cas had panted.

“And I you, future Mr. Winchester.”

He had heard the smile on Cas’ lips as he had whispered “Castiel Winchester...”

Suddenly, in one swift motion, Cas had flipped their position so that he was on top of Dean. He had almost ripped Dean’s boxers in the process of getting them off, and then had firmly begun to jack Dean’s pulsating cock. Dean had gasped for air as the pleasure rippled through him, clutching the couch and moaning loudly.

“Cas... Oh god, baby, yes...” he had moaned. He had quivered with ecstasy as he moaned. “Yes...”

“Is that good, baby?” Castiel had smirked.

“So good...”

“How would you like to be inside of me right now?”

Dean had let out a deep moan in reply, accompanied by his cock stiffening even more, if that was even possible. He cock ached with the need for release, but he held it in. He wanted to cum inside of Cas.

Cas had grabbed the lube they used to keep hidden under the couch for just such occasions and slicked up Dean’s cock. He had then pulled his own boxers down and positioned himself on the far side of the couch, ready for Dean to enter him.

Dean had gotten up and slid inside of Cas fast and hard. Cas had let out a yelp and a moan, and Dean had caressed his hair and kissed the back of his neck to soothe him as he started to pump himself in and out of Cas’ tight ass. Usually they warmed each other up before just entering each other like this, but there was a sort of urgency to tonight’s sexual endeavors that had made it seem as if there was no time for that. This wasn’t a “want” sort of sex, this was an aching need. They had needed to show each other that they were ready to commit forever, and this was their way of saying that without words.

Dean had begun to thrust harder and faster, and Cas had reached down and started to jack himself off. Dean had pushed his hand away and wrapped his own hand around Cas’ hard cock instead, because he needed to make Cas feel as good as he felt. He had tried to mimic his thrusts with his hand, and Cas had begun to moan and pant in time with Dean.

“You ready, babe?” whispered Dean. Cas had nodded, breathless.

That’s when Dean had finally let himself go. He came inside of Cas’ tight asshole, swearing and moaning hard, and jacking Cas faster and faster until he, too, came. Dean had pulled himself out of Cas and they had collapsed together, still puffing and gasping for air. They were completely winded, but Dean had reached up for Cas’ face anyway, pulling his lover toward him. They had kissed softly then, just for a moment, before releasing and promptly falling asleep.

Just as Dean had drifted off, he had heard Cas’ soft and breathless groan of “my Dean...” and felt his hand come to rest on his chest.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! Sorry for the gap in posting, but I found a beta and she is rad so hopefully the quality and quantity of chapters will go up.

The next morning, Dean woke up missing Cas even more than he had last night. The dream still fresh in his mind, he texted Cas.

“Hey baby. Dreamt about you. Missing you lots.”

He got a response about two minutes later.

“What was the dream? Miss you too.”

“Dreamt about the night I proposed. And what happened after. ;)”

Dean got up and got dressed. His phone vibrated again when he was halfway through putting on his pants, and he hopped over to read the text, still pulling the second leg of the pants into position.

“Good night. Very good night. Let’s recreate it when you get home.”

Dean smirked and chuckled as he typed out his response.

“Definitely.”

He headed into the small kitchen in Sam’s apartment and saw Sam already up and making coffee. He clapped him on the back and Sam smiled.

“Morning, Dean,” said Sam.

“Morning, Sammy.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Like a rock. You?”

“Alright.”

Dean headed off to the bathroom to take a leak and shower, and when he got out and put his clothes back on, Sam was calling him from the kitchen.

“DEAN!” he called, “BREAKFAST!”

Dean headed into the kitchen and saw eggs and bacon waiting for him on a plate on the counter.

“Well, well, well,” said Dean, “My little brother is becoming a regular housewife.”

Sam laughed and stuck his tongue out at Dean. Dean stuck his tongue out in response and grabbed his plate. He headed to the table and sat down, and Sam sat down across from him.

They talked very little and about nothing in particular while they ate, just enjoying each other’s company. It wasn’t an awkward silence, it was a very comfortable one. They had missed each other and they were happy to be together again.

“So Jess asked if you wanted to go out to dinner tonight. The three of us, I mean,” said Sam as they were clearing the table.

“Sure,” replied Dean, “Sounds fun.”

Sam smiled.

“I think you’re going to really like her, Dean.”

“I’m sure I will.”

Sam had a class, so he headed off, leaving Dean some time alone. He decided to watch some television. He found a marathon of Dr. Sexy, M.D. (his favorite guilty pleasure show) and folded the pull-out couch back up so that he could sit and watch.

Halfway through his third episode, he texted Cas again.

“How’s Mary?”

Cas responded just as Dr. Sexy was saving the life of the victim of a shooting.

“She’s good. Still an infant. She does not walk or talk yet. I think she’s waiting for you for that.”

Dean laughed. Cas’ sense of humor is one of Dean’s favorite things.

“Good. Tell her that if she walks or talks without me there, she’s grounded until after she’s married.”

Cas responded immediately.

“I did. She laughed. I don’t think she believed you.”

Dean smiled and responded.

“Tell her I am very serious.”

Dean looked out the window, ignoring the television, and decided it was too beautiful out to sit inside and watch Dr. Sexy, M.D. all day, so he turned it off and put some shoes on to head outside.

He continued to text Cas as he walked, their joking about Mary soon transitioning into a chat about the weather in California.

Dean: “It’s so nice here. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right.” 

Cas: “I’m very jealous. It’s raining here. :(”

Dean: “That’s too bad. Wish you were here. We could sit on the beach or something. I bet there’s one we could drive to from here.”

Cas: “Yes, please. I need a vacation one of these days.”

Dean: “We’ll come visit Sam with Mary once she’s a little older. Maybe hit Disneyland too while we’re out here.”

Cas: “Mary and I both like that idea. I’d like to meet Mickey. I’m a big fan of his work.”

Dean chuckled. He found a bench overlooking a park and sat down. It really was beautiful here. He leaned back and took in the fresh air. He responded to Cas’ text with a joke about him eloping with the iconic mouse, and then closed his eyes to just breathe. California had a different feel and scent than home did. It felt like he was on vacation, even though he was just visiting his kid brother. He felt happy and at peace, the way he had the few times he had been on vacations. He hadn’t been on one since his honeymoon with Cas, and he needed one desperately, just like Cas did. He made a mental note to take Cas on a cruise or something; to go somewhere exotic. They could find some family cruise line, maybe one with an on-board day care center, and Cas and Dean could spend some time together. He felt happier even just thinking about it. He’d save up some money and make it happen. Cas deserved a break from their home. He rarely left the house. All of his time was taken up with caring for Mary and keeping the house in livable condition.

He texted Cas again before turning his phone off and putting it in his pocket so that he could enjoy the fresh air and alone time.

“I have an idea. I’ll tell you tonight over Skype. Going to turn my phone off now. Love you, babe.”


End file.
